Friday, March 19, 2010

Fundraisers benefit Haitians and a fellow student

Students were "freezin' for a reason" at the Cardinal Plunge.

The Saint Mary’s community found creative ways to raise over $5,000 to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti and a fellow student in need.

Proceeds from the first “Cardinal Plunge” were split between Haiti relief and the family of Michael Mockler, a sophomore undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. More than 120 brave souls and warm hearts jumped into Lake Goodview, while 300 of the less-brave offered moral support. (See video of the event.)

Sales of the “Red Card,” a Winona business discount program devised and executed by students in our Entrepreneurship class, will benefit the Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin.

Other Haiti benefit efforts included: a faculty/staff chili cookoff; “Hope for  Haiti” student carnival hosted by volunteer mentors; “Dance for Haiti” sponsored by Campus Ministry; “Open Mic Night” in the Cardinal Club; a jewelry sale; and the “International Showcase” of student musical talent sponsored by the Inter-Cultural Awareness Association and the International Students Club. (See video of the event.)

Mayo program a great experience for students

Nine Saint Mary’s students received the educational opportunity of a lifetime through the Mayo Innovation Scholars Program (MISP). For the past five months, these students contributed to innovative medical research, associated with the world’s most prestigious health care system.

Saint Mary’s participants included: business majors Boya Hu, Agnieszka Kadej, Brittany Peterson and Matt Wilgenbusch; computer science major Emily Friedl; and biological sciences majors Melissa Wolf, Caitlin O’Conner, Thomas Briese and Phil Thomas.

The Mayo Innovation Scholars Program, now in its fourth year, is an opportunity for selected MBA students and undergraduate science and business students to research projects submitted by Mayo Clinic professionals through the Mayo Clinic Office of Intellectual Property. The Minnesota Private College Council helps to coordinate the program. MISP connects students from biology, chemistry, math, physics, pre-med and business and helps prepare them for careers in hospitals, medical research institutions and health care agencies.

Report shows Saint Mary’s athletes excel in classroom

For any student-athlete, statistics help tell the story of their individual or team successes. For members of the 21 varsity intercollegiate sports at Saint Mary’s, one statistic stands out above all the rest — 3.11. That’s the overall SMU student-athlete grade point average for fall semester, as calculated by Saint Mary’s institutional research.

The university is proud of the accomplishments of our student-athletes on and off the field of competition.  Of the 21 varsity teams, 16 boasted a team GPA of 3.00 or higher, with the women’s track and field (3.53) and the men’s cross country (3.43) leading the charge.

Of the 325 current student-athletes — who make up 25 percent of SMU’s full-time undergraduate population — 15 had perfect 4.0 GPAs, while 73 were named to the dean’s list with GPAs of 3.60 or above, and 182 finished the fall semester at 3.00 or higher. In addition, the men’s and women’s cross country teams earned U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team honors.

Valentine selected for prestigious research program

Stephanie Valentine

Stephanie Valentine, a junior computer science major, has been selected to receive a fully funded summer research opportunity. Stephanie will participate in the CDC/CRA-W Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU). One of 80 students selected from 500 applicants, she will do research with Prof. Tracy Hammond of Texas A&M University.

DREU is a highly selective program that matches promising undergraduates with a faculty mentor for a summer research experience at the faculty member's home institution. DREU’s objective is to increase the number of women and students from underrepresented groups entering graduate studies in the fields of computer science and engineering.

Athletes receive post-season honors

From left to right: Andrew Brueggen, Lukas Holland, Will Wright & Chris Palmer.

Several fall and winter athletes have received post-season accolades. Andrew Brueggen became Saint Mary's first-ever male All-American in track and field, placing fourth in the weight throw at the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships. (See video of the event.) Junior men’s basketball players Lukas Holland and Will Wright were named first-team All-MIAC. Freshman Chris Palmer was named honorable mention and selected to the All-First Year Team. Chris was also named D3hoops.com West Region Rookie of the Year.

From left to right: Jess Miller, Jessica Thone, Dy-anna Stewart, Stevie Fiek & Kaye Collier.

In women’s basketball, junior Jess Miller was named first-team All-MIAC, and freshman Jessica Thone was selected to the All-First Year Team. Junior Dy-anna Stewart, sophomore Stevie Fiek and freshman Kaye Collier were named first-team All-MIAC for women’s hockey; Kaye was also named to the All-Rookie Team.

Student researchers display results at the Capitol

Ryan Soukoup discussed his research with Minnesota Lt. Governor Carol Molnau.

Three SMU students, along with their faculty advisors, went to the Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda on February 25 to present the results of their independent research and creative scholarship at the annual Minnesota Private College “Scholars at the Capitol” event.

Keith Fahrforth & Michelle Hermes displayed their research findings.

The event showcased current research projects completed by 34 undergraduate scholars from Minnesota private colleges and universities. Saint Mary’s students attending this year’s event included: Ryan Soukoup, presenting on “Cultural Change and the Dakota Uprising”; and Keith Fahrforth and Michelle Hermes, presenting on “The Effects of Atrazine on Pack Cell Volume, Gender and Development of Gallus Gallus.”

The MPCC hosted the event to publicize and celebrate the achievements of just a few of the many thousands of students who attend private schools of higher learning in Minnesota, and to share research that may have long-term implications for Minnesotans.

Heritage celebrated during De La Salle Week

Brother William with the Outstanding Senior finalists, from left to right: (front) Zhe “Scott” Song, Sarah Weir, Molly Jewison, Mariana Sanchez, Mary Gleich & Vanessa Grams; (back) David Dahlstrom, Bill Duffert, Brian Smith & Gary Borash.

The university celebrated its Lasallian heritage with a variety of special events during De La Salle Week — February 7 through March 6 — designed to engage students and deepen understanding. A highlight of the week was the Founder’s Day ceremony, the annual celebration of the founding of Saint Mary’s by Bishop Patrick Heffron in 1912, and of the university’s ongoing Lasallian heritage.

Dr. Carmelita Quebengco, executive vice president and chief operating officer of De La Salle Philippines, was presented an honorary doctorate for her work in the achievement of excellence in Lasallian higher education. She addressed the audience about developing effectiveness in a Lasallian university.

Mary Becker received the university’s Bishop Patrick Heffron Award for Service. As the administrative assistant to the president  since 1993, she has provided a daily example of service and commitment to our mission.

Brother Stephen Rusyn, FSC, Ph.D., was named this year’s Distinguished Lasallian Educator. Brother Stephen is a long-time professor of English who was chosen because of his attention and dedication to students.

The Outstanding Male and Female Senior Awards were presented to students who have demonstrated the ideals of scholarship, character, leadership and service. The Outstanding Male Senior Award went to David Dahlstrom, son of William and Rosanne Dahlstrom of Rochester, Minn. David is an accounting and human resource management major who also plays varsity baseball. The Outstanding Female Senior Award went to Mariana Sanchez, daughter of Jaime and Bernadette Sanchez, of Puebla, Mexico. Mariana is a graphic design major and a member of the varsity golf and soccer teams. (See video of the event.)

The following students were finalists for the 2010 Outstanding Senior Awards. Males: Gary Borash, son of Ron and Ann Borash of North Prairie, Minn.; Bill Duffert, son of Doug and Anne Duffert of Ramsey, Minn.; Zhe “Scott” Song, son of Shiqi Song and Haizhan Liu of Xi’an, China; and Brian Smith, son of Brad and Sue Smith of Minneapolis, Minn. Females: Mary Gleich, daughter of Peter '83 and Kathleen (Marek '83) Gleich, of Hastings, Minn.; Vanessa Grams, daughter of Jean and Gregg Grams of Little Falls, Minn.; Molly Jewison, daughter of Dan and Marie Jewison of Janesville, Minn.; and Sarah Weir, daughter of Glenn and Veronica Weir of Oswego, Ill.

Connect with Saint Mary's via online social media

The undergraduate College features student life videos on its YouTube channel.

We thought you would like to see some of the ways that Saint Mary's has a "social media" presence on the Internet. Recently, we have developed YouTube "channels" as a place to collect videos about SMU students and activities. There is a Winona campus channel, a sports channel, and a graduate programs channel. Saint Mary's has many Facebook groups and profiles, but listed below are the main, official pages. There are also Twitter accounts maintained by Sports Information and the SGPP, as well as an alumni group on LinkedIn. These features can be accessed directly; many are also linked from our main website and the sports website.
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YOUTUBE:
SMU Winona channel:  www.youtube.com/smuWinona
Sports channel:  www.youtube.com/smusid
SGPP channel:  www.youtube.com/smusgpp
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FACEBOOK:
Main Saint Mary's public profile:  www.facebook.com/smumn
Sports public profile:  www.facebook.com/saintmaryssports
Alumni public profile:  www.facebook.com/smumnalumni
Office of Activities group
Big Red Cardinal profile
Class of 2014 group
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TWITTER:
Sports:  http://twitter.com/SMUSID
TC Campus SGPP:  http://twitter.com/smugradprograms
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LINKEDIN:
Saint Mary's University Alumni group
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